Terry Prone: The dire seriousness of our politicians is beyond a joke

US president Barack Obama is far and away the first comedian in the league of the world's funniest leaders

Barack Obama is an intellectual by trade and training. He has acceded to the presidency of the United States at a time of more complex crises than has faced any president in living memory. He has taken charge of a world power that has lost the trust of great swathes of world opinion.

Against that background, the last thing you'd expect him to be is good-humoured, never mind funny. Yet he and his wife, Michelle, have managed to create a sense of energetic positivity and a fair number of laughs since they moved into the White House, despite the fact that a new toxic turnip rolls into his path virtually every day.

The high point came a week ago when he addressed the White House correspondents' association dinner. This is a celeb-studded annual event. "I did not want to be here tonight," he told his audience. "But I knew I